Middle English ; from Old English hulc ; from Medieval Latin hulcus ; from Classical Greek holkas, towed vessel ; from Indo-European an unverified form solkos, a pull, something dragged ; from base an unverified form selk-, to pull from source Classical Greek h?lkein, to pull, Old English sulh, a plow

to rise bulkily: usually with up

Dial. to slouch or lounge about in a heavy, clumsy manner

hulk

noun

Nautical

a. A heavy, unwieldy ship.

b. The hull of an old, unseaworthy, or wrecked ship.

c. often hulks An old or unseaworthy ship used as a prison or warehouse.

One, such as a person or object, that is bulky, clumsy, or unwieldy.

A wrecked or abandoned shell of a usually large object, such as a building or vehicle.

intransitive verb

hulked, hulk·ing, hulks

To appear as a massive or towering form; loom: The big truck hulked out of the fog.

To move clumsily.

Origin of hulk

Middle English, from Old English hulc, from Medieval Latin hulcus, probably from Greek holkas, ship that is towed, merchant ship, from holkos, machine for hauling ships, from helkein, to pull.

hulk

Noun

(plural hulks)

a non-functional, but floating ship, usually stripped of rigging and equipment, and often put to other uses such as storage or accommodation.

The name of a character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for the Marvel Comics Universe, it has since entered the everyday English lexicon. The name itself is most likely derived from the same word, hulk, which predates the existence of the character. See the Wikipedia link at the bottom.